Automatic boiler-pump.



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3. A.. REEV-E. AUTOMATIC BOILER PUMP.

, APPLICATION FILED FEB-16. 1905.

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ANDREW. B. mun-mil m, PHDTO-LITNDGIIAPHERS, WASHINGTON. n. c

\PATENTBD JUNE 26, 1906; v

4 sums-$1132 1 1.

PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906. s. A.-REEVE. AUTOMATIC BOILER PUMP APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. 1905- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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ANDREW. B. Gmllm co Pncmumomumms. WASHINGYON, n c.

PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906:

4 SHEETS-SHBET 4.

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45 ment I employ a compound UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY, A. REEVE,

AUTO'IVIIATIG BOILER-PUMP.

or WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES r. BROWN, TRUSTEE, or READING,

MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed February 1905. Serial No. 245,654. l 1

io regard as the best out of the various forms in which the invention maybe embodied.

. This invention relates to water-level controllers for steam-boilers whose automatic action depends upon the immersion or non-imthe inlet to the Steam-pipe which supplies steam for operating the boiler feedpump, the action being such that when the steam-pipe is uncovered the pump operates freely, With .the steam as the motive agent,

and raises the water-level but when the water is high and covers the steam-pipe water enters the pump-motor and causes it to slow down or discontinue its operation. Heretofore devices of this class have failed of wide among the causes being the inefficiency of the device from an economical standpoint and the noise and stress developed when the water first enters the pumpmotor or steam enters it after flooding-if the 0 motor be not throttled, hereas ifit is throttled there is uncertainty in the actionof the device under wide variations of load imposed on the boiler. V

My invention'aims to overcome these dif- 3 5 iiculties and provide a more eflicientpumping apparatus which may be'left unthrottled, which will work under wide variations of load on the boiler, which Will quickly free: itself of Water when the Water-level drops .below the steam-inlet, and in which the noise and stress .ordinarily caused by fluctuations of thewater-level above and below the steam-inlet are diminished.

In the preferred constructional embodipump-motor direct-connected to the pump-pistonand hav- 1ng a high-pressure motor-p1ston of an area substantially equal to the area of the pump piston, so that the boiler-pressure is substan- 5o .tially balanced against these two pistons.

The low-pressure piston serves to overcome frict on and force water in steam is' the motive agent; but when water to the boiler when .cylinders. takes the place of steam' the pressure the receiver intermediate between the high and low pressure motor-cylinders falls to zero, and the pump stops. Novel provisions-are made for draining and for working under Wide variations of steam-pressure, visions are made for applying the duplex principle, wherein each of a pair erates the valve mechanism of the other one of said pair. p 2

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents theplan view of a boiler feedpump embodying the invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation. Fig. 3 represents a cross-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 throughthe axial plane of the pistons. a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 represent sections on the lines 5 5 and 6 6 of Fig. 4. Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive, represent sections on the correspondingly-numbered lines on Fig. 5. Fig. 11 represents a view in elevation and section showing the connections of the pump'with the boiler. Fig. 12 repre-j sents a sectionon a line 12 12 of Fig. 10.

Patented June26,1906.

and proof pumps op- Fig. 4 represents the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 20, Fig. 11, represents aboiler having an outside water-column 21, With which the steam-supply pipe 22 of the pump apparatus 23 is connected at the water-line level. 1 g

24 is the feed-pipe leading from the pump to the boiler.

The steam-pipe 22 has a portion extending above the water-line and enlarged into a res ervoir-chamber 25, designed to moderatethe frequent and violent alternations of Water and steam supply to the pump-motor under the'fluctuations of water-level above and below the inlet of the steam-pipe. Not until said inlet is fullyand for a period permanently covered does water pass to thepumpmotor. When the inlet is again uncovered,

water gurgles back into the chamber 25,

admission and exhaust of the high-pressure These valvesiform g parts,"of two valvestructures29i30 ,ficontrollingztheiste am distribution of the pump-motors. Two compound direct-acting motors are employed, of Which 31 is the high-pressure cylinder of one, 32 the low-pressure cylinder, and 33 the pump-cylinder. A single piston structure 34 embodies the single-acting high-pressure piston 35, double-acting low-pressure piston 36 and a single-acting pump-piston 37 of the same area as the high-pressure motor-piston 35. 38-is the high-pressure cylinder-chamber, 39 the upper low-pressure chamber, 40 the low-pressure chamber, and 41 the pumpchamber. In the other pump the corresponding pistons of its piston structure 340 are marked 42 43 44, the corresponding cylinders 53 54 55, and corresponding chambers 45 46 47 48.

49 is an admission-chamber common to the two pump-chambers 41 48 and admitting thereto past check-valves 50, and 51 is a discharge-chamber common to the two pumpchambers and receiving therefrom past chec valves 52.

Steam admission from the chamber 26 occurs past valves 27 and 28 through ports 56 57 into the high-pressure cylinder-chambers 45 and 38, respectively, and exhaust occurs therefrom under control of the valves 27 28 through ports 58 59into two receiver-spaces 6O 61, occupying the upper portion of the casing, The exhaust-ports 58 59 are located below the admission-ports 56 57, so that the upward termination of the piston-stroke is cushioned when the high-pressure pistons cover these exhaust-ports.

' From the, receivers 60 61 the steam exhausted from the highpressure cylinders passes to the corresponding low-pressure cylinders and operates expansively on the lowpressure pistons 36 43. The first draft from the receivers is by way of the hollow interiors 62 63 of the lower parts of the valve structures to the admission-ports 64 65 for the lower low-pressure spaces 47 40 under control of valves 66 67, formed on the valve structures, and the second draft from said receivers is to the upper low-pressure spaces 46 39 through mission and exhaust and controlled by valves 70 71 on the valve structures. Exhaust occurs from the lower chambers under control of the valves 66 67 through ports 72 73 into an exhaust-chamber 74, communicating with the atmosphere or with a condenser through the pipe 75. The upper chambers 46 39 are opened to the exhaust-chamber 74 when the valves 7 O 71 rise above ports 68 69. The exhaust-ports 72 73 are located above the admission-ports 64 65 to afford cushion at the lower extremity of piston travel.

76 77 are removable valve cages or guides in which the valve structures operate. Arrangement is made for operating the valve mechanism of each pump by the piston of the other pump in accordance with the ports 68 69, carrying both adduplex principle. The valve structure 29 is reciprocated by a lever 78 of the first class, fulcrumed at 79 and oscillated by a rod 80, attached to piston 36, while the valve structure 30 is reciprocated by lever 180 of the second class, fulcrumed at 181 and oscillated by rod 82 from the piston 43. These rods operate in guides 83 84 at their upper ends. he movements of the valve structure 29 controlling piston structure 340 are opposite to those of the piston structure 34 producing said movements, while those of the valve structure 30 are in the same direction as the movements of the piston structure 340.

In the side of the high-pressure cylinder 31 is a port 85, uncovered by the piston 35 at the lower end of its stroke and leading to the receiver 60, which supplies the low-pressure cylinder of the other pump. This port is controlled by an adjustable hand-valve 86. A similar port 87, controlled by hand-valve 88, leads from the high-pressure cylinder 45 into the receiver 61. These ports serve a double function. First, they give the pump an adaptability to wide ranges of boiler-pressure and speed. Since the motive power for the low-pressure cylinders is simply the expansive power of the steam exhausted from the high-pressure cylinders, this at times of low boiler-pressure might prove insulficient to keep the pump in motion. If, however, the valves 88 be opened, the receivers will receive an added supply of live steam direct from the boiler through the high-pressure cylinders at the lower ends of the pistonstrokes, since the admission-valves are open throughout the downstroke. This added receiver-pressure, caused by either of the high-pressure pistons, serves to accelerate the upward movement of the other piston, and thus produces a quicker closing of the valve controlling this live-steam supply and. an ensuing quickened upward movement of the first said piston, closing the port or 87. Hence these ports may be left open at all times, since if the boiler-pressure is high the piston movements are accelerated and less pause occurs at the end of the strokes, while if the boiler-pressure is low the pause is greater and affords the needful supply of live steam to the receivers. The ports 85 87, furthermore, promote the drainage of the high-pressure cylinders into the receivers after the pump-motors have been flooded.

rovision is made against the entrance of much of the water from the receivers into the lower low-pressure cylinder-chambers 40 47 by extending the sleeve portions of the valve structure above the valves 70 71, thus causing the water to seek the ports 68 69 and the upper low-pressure chambers 46 39. Such water as enters below the low-pressure pistons passes out through the exhaustports 72 73 until these ports are covered by the descent of the pistons and the remainder passes out I passages 90, and ports 91 into the exhaustorts 72 73 and therethrough into the exaust-chamber 74 when the valves 66 67 are depressed.

' The upper low-pressure cylinder-chambers 39, 46 are drained through ports 92, leading from the low-pressure cylin ersinto the ex haust-chamber 74 and uncovered by the pistons 36 43 at the bottom of their strokes. No useful steam-pressure is lost through these ports, since the steam which reaches them is the second draft from the receivers and has done its work.

The operation is as follows: Assuming at first that the water-level is below the inlet to pipe 22, the pump will operate freely under steam-pressure and tend to raise the waterlevel. As shown in the drawings, the piston structure 34 is at its lowest limit of movementand the piston .structure 340 is moving upwardly and about ture to its upward limit to cover the admission-port 57 of high-pressure cylinder 31, to uncover the exhaust-port 59 thereof, ad-

Imitting the contents of said cylinder to receiver 61, to uncover port. 69 and allowtli'e upper low-pressure cylinder-space 39 to exhaust to the atmospheric chamber 74, to cover the exhaust-port 73 to the lower lowpressure chamber 40 and to uncover the admission-port 65 thereof and admit receiversteam below the piston 36. This causes the piston structure 34 to rise and shift the valve structure 29 to its lower limit, uncovering the ports 56, 68, and 72 and covering the ports 58 and 64, thereby admitting live steam on top of piston 42 and receiver-steam on top of piston 43 and exhausting the lower lowpres sure chamber 47, whereby the piston struc-v ture 340 is forced downwardly. At the lower limit of the movement of piston 340 it admits steam to the chambers 38 39 and exhausts the chamber 40, whereby the piston structure 34 is depressed and shifts the valve structure 29 to the position shown in'Fig. 29, whereupon i the cycle is repeated. It will thus be seen that the movements of the piston structures and valves of the two pump devices alternate.

.First the piston structure 340 rises, followed by the piston structure 34, and then 340 descends, followed by 34. The high-pressure motor-cylinders and pumps are single-acting and the low-presssure cylinders are double-. acting. When water covers the inlet of pipe 22 and enters the motor-cylinders, the pressure in the receivers and 61 soon drops substantially to zero, and since the boiler-pressure is then balanced against the equal-sized pistons 35 37 and 42 44 the pumps come to a stop until the water drops out of the boilerleg of pipe 22. The umpmotors soon free themselves of water t rough-their admission and exhaust ports and the drainage-ports alto bring the valve strucready described and resume the operationof umping water into the boiler. V

It will be understood that wide-variations may be made in theconstruction of the apparatus without departing from the principles of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. .An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, connected motor and pump pistons substantiallypressure-balanced against each other, a second motorepiston working by the exhaust-steam from the first motor-piston,

and awater-line connection from the boiler to I the motor.

2. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising aboiler, and a compound motor steam-pump supplying the same and having a steam connection to the boiler at the water-line, the relative areas of the motor and pump pistons being such that the boiler-pressure is substantially.

balanced when the motor is filled with water. 3. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, and a pump apparatus for feeding the same having a steam connection with the boiler at the water-line and high and low 'pressuremotor-pistons and a pump-piston, the latter of the same area as the high-pressure motor-piston.

4. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, a pump-piston for supplying feedwaterthereto, high-pressure and low-pressure motor-pistons in direct-acting relation to said pump-piston and both operating in the same direction, automatic valve mechanism intermediate between said motor-pistons, and a pipe connection from the water-line of the boiler to supply the high-pressure piston.

.5. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a single-acting pump and a'motor directly connected thereto and having a single-acting high-pressure piston and a doubleacting low-pressure piston.

6. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a compound motor and pump comprising a single piston structure having formed thereon a pump-piston or plunger, a high-pressure piston and a low-pressure piston, and means whereby steam is admitted to and exhausted from one side of the high-pressure piston and both sides of the low-pressure piston.

7. An a boiler, a combined pump and motor including a single-acting pump supplying feed-water to said boiler and a motor operated from the water-line level of the boiler and including a single-acting high-pressure cylinder and piston, and a double-acting low-pressure-cylinder and piston, the motor and pump pistons forming a single structure.

8. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, a combined pump and motor includ automatic boiler-feeder comprisingthe water-line level of the boiler and including a single-acting high-pressure cylinder and piston, and a double-acting low-pressure cylinder and piston, the motor and pump pistons forming a single structure, said pumppiston having substantially the same area as the high-pressure motor-piston.

9. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, and a duplex pumping apparatus for supplying feed-water thereto and having a motor-supply connection with the boiler at the water-line, said apparatus comprising alternately-operating piston structures including) high-pressure motor and pump pistons of su stantially equal areas, low-pressure motorpistons, and valve mechanisms for the motors, each of which is operated by the piston structure of the other motor.

10. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a duplex pumping apparatus comprising alternately-operating motors and pumps, each motor and pump having a single-acting highpressure motor-piston, a single-acting pumppiston, and double-acting low-pressure motor-piston all in one piston structure, and valve mechanisms for said motors each operated by the piston structure of the other motor.

11. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a pair of combined motors and pumps each having high and low pressure motor-pistons and pump-pistons forming the alternatelyoperating piston structures, valve mechanisms for the motors each operated by the piston structure of the other motor, receivers interposed between the high and low pres sure cylinders, and a casing forming the cylinders and receivers and entirely inclosing the working parts.

12. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising high and low pressure motor cylinders and pistons, a pump-piston operated by said motor-pistons, means controlled by movement of the high-pressure piston for admitting live steam to the low-pressure piston at the termination of the working stroke of the highpressure piston, and a device for rendering said means operative or inoperative at will, during the operation of the remaining parts.

13. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a pump, a low-pressure piston operating the same, a cylinder therefor, a receiver antecedent to the said cylinder, al1igh-pressurepiston and cylinder, a port connecting the highpressure cylinder with the receiver and uncovered by the high-pressure piston at the end of its stroke, and means for adj usting the aperture of said port.

14. An automatic boiler-feed comprising high and low pressure motor cylinders and pistons, a pump-piston operated by said motor-pistons, means whereby the low-pressure cylinder receives live motive fluid, a boiler supplied by the pump, and a connection from the water-line level thereof to the pump-motor.

15. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a duplex pumping apparatus including two alternately-operating combined motors and pumps each controlling the steam distribution of the other, each motor having high and low pressure cylinders and an intermediate receiver, pistons in. said cylinders, and ports connecting each high-pressure cylinder with. the receiver of the other motor and controlled by the piston in said cylinder.

16. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, a compound motor and pump apparatus for supplying feed-water thereto, and. having a motive connection with the waterline level of the boiler, said motor having high and low pressure cylinders with ports for the admission and exhaust of motive iluid, automatic valve mechanism for controlling said ports, and additional provisions for antomatically draining one or more of said. cylinders.

17. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, a pump supplying the same with feed-water, a motor for operating said pump having a single-acting l1igh])1ossure cylinder, a double-acting low-pressure cylinder, and a drainage-port from that end of said low-pressure cylinder which receives the second part of the exhaust from the high-pressure eylinder, said port controlled. by the low-pressure piston.

18. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, a feed-water pump therefor, a motor to operate said pump having a supply eonnection from the water-line level of the boiler and including a motor-cylinder having an admission-port, and an exhaust-port covered by the piston before the end of its stroke, whereby cushion-steam is entrapped, and means for draining the cushion-space alter the exhaust-port is covered.

19. An automatic boiler-feeder comprising a boiler, a pump to supply the same with feed-water, and a motor to operate said pump, supplied from the water-line level of the boiler, said pump having an upwardly-aeting piston, a cylinder therefor having an exhaustport covered by the piston at the lower end of its stroke, and a drainage-port leading from the said cylinder below the exhaustport.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of February, 1905.

SIDNEY A. REEVE.

lVitnesses HENRY P. MURRAY, 0. M. CARTER TIO 

